Oldest ever mushroom fossil discovered
Researchers have discovered the oldest ever mushroom fossil to be identified, a finding which pushes back the time when the fungal organisms first appeared on the Earth by about 300 million years. According to the scientists, including those from Universite Libre de Bruxelles in France, the oldest confirmed mushroom fossil until now was dated to 460 million years ago.
In the current study, published in the journal Science Advances, researchers found fossilised remains of microscopic mushroom parts called mycelium in rocks whose age is between 715 and 810 million years. The scientists said these rocks were found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and likely formed in a lagoon or coastal lake environment.
Putting the discovery in perspective, the researchers said, this was a time in the Earth's history when life on the continents' surface was in its very infancy.
While previously discovered mushroom fossils were identified based on the morphology of organic remains found in rocks using corrosive acid compounds, this method damaged the chemistry of the fossils, and only allowed analysis of the microscopic structures. In the current study, the scientists used multiple molecular analysis techniques at a microscopic scale with which they could study the chemistry of organic remains in the site, without corrosive chemical treatment.
Researchers have discovered the oldest ever mushroom fossil to be identified, a finding which pushes back the time when the fungal organisms first appeared on the Earth by about 300 million years. According to the scientists, including those from Universite Libre de Bruxelles in France, the oldest confirmed mushroom fossil until now was dated to 460 million years ago.
In the current study, published in the journal Science Advances, researchers found fossilised remains of microscopic mushroom parts called mycelium in rocks whose age is between 715 and 810 million years. The scientists said these rocks were found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and likely formed in a lagoon or coastal lake environment.
Putting the discovery in perspective, the researchers said, this was a time in the Earth's history when life on the continents' surface was in its very infancy.
While previously discovered mushroom fossils were identified based on the morphology of organic remains found in rocks using corrosive acid compounds, this method damaged the chemistry of the fossils, and only allowed analysis of the microscopic structures. In the current study, the scientists used multiple molecular analysis techniques at a microscopic scale with which they could study the chemistry of organic remains in the site, without corrosive chemical treatment.
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